Philosophy

Classes

PHIL 100: Introduction to Philosophy: Survey of Problems

Discipline
Philosophy
Credits 3 Lecture Hours 3
Designation
DH
Great philosophical issues, theories, and controversies. Course will focus on issues such as the problem of determinism, the problem of induction, the problem of distributive justice, the problem of the highest good, and the problem of the function of government.
Course Outcomes
  • Analyze contemporary issues and events using philosophical concepts and theories.
  • Defend a position on a philosophical problem in philosophy.
  • Identify important individuals, events, theories, and concepts in Western philosophy.
  • Apply critical thinking skills (i.e. clarify concepts, raise normative questions, evaluate ideas presented in the text and handouts, and identify philosophical issues and concerns.

PHIL 101: Introduction to Philosophy: Morals and Society

Discipline
Philosophy
Credits 3 Lecture Hours 3
Designation
DH
Social and individual values, obligations, rights, and responsibilities. Course will cover normative theories and their applications to business, medicine, ethics and sexual relations.
Recommended Preparation

College level reading ability.

Course Outcomes
  • Recognize the major views that have defined the Western debate on ethical matters to include: virtue ethics, teleological theory, and deontological theory.
  • Use logical reasoning and ethical concepts to analyze contemporary ethical problems.
  • Defend a position on a fundamental problem in ethics.
  • Compare, contrast, and evaluate virtue ethics, teleological theory, and deontological ethics in terms of their respective views of (a) human nature, (b) the nature of goodness, (c) the good life.

PHIL 102: Introduction to Asian Philosophy: Asian Traditions

Discipline
Philosophy
Credits 3 Lecture Hours 3
Designation
DH
Introductory course in selected schools of Asian thought. Universal issues/problems examined from Asian perspective. Focus will be on Indian, Chinese, and Japanese traditions.
Course Outcomes
  • Compare, contrast, and evaluate Indian, Chinese, Japanese, and European thought in terms of their respective views of (a) human nature, (b) the nature of goodness, (c) the good life.
  • Identify and discuss contributions of schools of Asian philosophy and the influence of each on the other through a historical perspective.
  • Discuss terms and concepts like “satori”, “anatta”, “jen” and evaluate their relevance (significance) for the West.
  • Analyze Indian, Chinese, and Japanese thought in terms of (a) methodology, metaphysics, and ethics in order to better understand Asian concerns.

PHIL 110: Introduction to Logic

Discipline
Philosophy
Credits 3 Lecture Hours 3

A study of the foundations and development of rational thought and communication and their applications. Includes analysis of deductive reasoning, formal and informal fallacies, and the use of symbolic systems.

Course Outcomes
  • Recognize fallacies of relevance, presumption, and ambiguity.
  • Employ rules of logic in deductive analysis.
  • Construct truth tables for deductive analysis.
  • Use symbolic systems for deductive analysis.

PHIL 111: Introduction to Inductive Logic

Discipline
Philosophy
Credits 3 Lecture Hours 3
Designation
FQ
Introduction to the theory of arguments based on probabilities and to the theory of decision-making in the context of uncertainty.
Recommended Preparation

Credit in PHIL 110

Course Outcomes
  • Correctly classify data and variables.
  • Create and interpret various graphs.
  • Calculate and interpret descriptive statistics, including the mean, median, and mode.
  • Construct and interpret point and interval estimates.

PHIL 211: Ancient Philosophy

Discipline
Philosophy
Credits 3 Lecture Hours 3
Designation
DH
The philosophical traditions of Greece and Rome between the 5th century BCE and the 5th century CE. Important works by four representative figures (two from Classical Greece and two from the Roman tradition).
Recommended Preparation

Completion of ENG 100 or equivalent.

Course Outcomes
  • Discuss terms and concepts like the “doctrine of homo mensura” and the “doctrine of ideas or forms” and evaluate their relevance (significance) for modern times.
  • Identify and discuss contributions of selected philosophers and the influence of each on the other through a historical perspective.
  • Trace some of the roots of present day thought through the application of concepts and points of view forwarded in this class.
  • Discuss the major tenets of the “classical mind” as well as those that made up the “medieval mind” in order to characterize these periods of time in an orderly and meaningful pattern.

PHIL 213: Modern Philosophy

Discipline
Philosophy
Credits 3 Lecture Hours 3
Designation
DH

Introduction to the history of philosophy based on texts or translations of “modern” works, that is works originally written in a modern European language. 

Course Outcomes
  • Describe the nature and significance of major controversies in epistemology, ethics, metaphysics, aesthetics, and method that define the period of modernity.
  • Clearly explain, synthesize, and compare the arguments put forward by the modern philosophers studied in the course.
  • Carefully evaluate the positions of the philosophers studied by employing the methods of philosophical inquiry such as critical thinking, critical reading, and critical writing.
  • Clearly, concisely, and convincingly articulate reasons that support personal judgments about major controversies in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, aesthetics, and method.